Power to Love – Ephesians 3:14-21

I don’t know if I read it, heard it or just came up with the idea of personalizing this prayer for someone: “Father, I pray that according to the riches of Your glory you would grant John to be strengthened with power through Your Spirit in his inner being, etc.” This is what Paul prayed for his readers. How much better can you pray for someone than with the very prayer of Jesus’ apostle?

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, ESV)

So we see the hope of our calling in the first part of chapter 2, that we are rescued to do good works. We see the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints, Jew and Gentile made one new man or temple. And we see God’s power toward us in calling the apostles and prophets to preach the gospel to us and now Paul prays that we will experience His power as that which teaches us how much He loves us.

It is the Holy Spirit within us whom Paul wants to strengthen us so that the very person of Christ might be exuded through our persons. And the foundational character of Christ is love. Love was and is the root of everything Jesus did and will be what is rooted in us as the Spirit works powerfully in us. Love was the ground of all of Jesus’ other attributes as our Savior and what will ground us as the Spirit strengthens our inner being.

It takes divine strength to comprehend Christ’s love, how broad it is, how long and high and deep it is. In fact, it is infinite love and ultimately beyond our ken to understand. But the Spirit is working in us to teach us Jesus’ love and as He does, as this love of Christ in us grows, we are filled with the very fullness that fills God. God is love.

Paul expects this prayer for strengthening to be answered. God’s love is such that He gives us more than we ask for and He has already committed to working this powerfully in us. It is to His glory in the church and Christ to do this, to make us like Christ in His love. This is what the church is for and what He is committed to accomplishing in all generations. What are you rooted and grounded in?

Discussion Questions

1. When have you felt the most loved?
2. How have you felt or experienced the Spirit’s empowerment in you to love as Christ loves?
3. Why do you think it requires the Spirit’s resurrecting power to be able to comprehend the love of Christ?
4. What do you think it means to be filled with all the fullness of God and what does that look like?
5. Do you pray with the same expectation Paul had, that God will go beyond answering your prayers out of the abundance of His love for you?
6. For whom would you pray Paul’s prayer in this passage?